Red Wedding
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: Both humans and elves held weddings to be sacrosanct. But in times of war, both were willing to break that covenant if it meant victory over their enemies...


**Red Wedding**

"All the men are in position?"

"Yes General."

"Good. Their instructions are to strike when I give the signal?"

"Which is?"

"Oh, you'll know it."

Riga had been a general. Was still a general, even if the Crimson was smaller than Arborlon's forces had been in its heyday. Right now, the Crimson was enough to threaten both Arborlon and Leah. Not the largest army that the Four Lands had ever seen, but large enough to get the job done. In this case, he would do with a few hundred men what the Warlock Lord had failed to do with thousands – bring the Four Lands to its knees. So when he told Karima that he would know what the signal was, he didn't give it a second thought. The force that would infiltrate the palace was small enough that they could see him "give the signal." And once they'd secured the palace, the rest of the Crimson would move in and secure the city. The city of Leah, of the kingdom of Leah. Not the most original of names, but he couldn't care less. The only names he cared about now were the ones that would die this day. That, or submit to him.

"Alright," he said. "Let's move."

The Crimson soldiers began moving through the tunnels that ran under the Silver River. Once, these tunnels had been used by Queen Tamlin to smuggle weapons to the Crimson, little knowing that they already had men on the inside who were taking notes. Turned out that the tunnels were just as good at getting men into the palace as they were getting them out. And since Tamlin likely believed him to be dead after that stunt she pulled with Garet Jax, and that she'd moved forward with wedding her daughter to King Ander, Riga wasn't counting on much resistance. Not much more than the group of guards sitting at the fire, who rose to their feet as they saw the soldiers marching in. They didn't scream – arrows and swords found their throats too fast for that.

 _Shame,_ Riga thought as he passed by. _Good men in the wrong place at the wrong time._

Or maybe they weren't good men. Maybe they were the dregs of Leah's armies, which was why they were on cave duty rather than at the wedding. He couldn't say. He understood Tamlin well enough (conniving, scheming, manipulative), but that level of understanding didn't extend to guard duty. He looked at Karima. His fellow soldier didn't look back, his eyes instead focused on the path ahead. Eyes that betrayed the unease within him.

"Are you that squeamish?" Riga asked.

Karima looked at him. "What?"

"Killing guards. We've killed humans, elves, and gnomes by the dozens, and you're worried about a few guards."

"I'm not worried."

"Yes, you are," Riga said. "Maybe not about the poor souls who are going to become rat food, but you're bothered about something."

"I'm fine."

Riga slammed him against the wall of the cave. The Crimson soldiers kept walking, paying no heed. They knew their general well enough to not get in the way when discipline had to be meted out.

"Don't lie to me," Riga whispered. "Not now. Not ever."

"I'm not lying."

"That's a lie right there." Riga drew back a little. "Tell me, Karima. I want your head on your shoulders before we start separating heads from other people's shoulders."

Karima sighed and glanced around, as if looking for assistance. He wouldn't get any, Riga reflected. The Crimson kept walking. The Crimson knew their task.

"It's just…a wedding," Karima said.

"Yes?"

"A wedding," the elf repeated. "It's just…it feels like we're crossing a line here."

Riga blinked. "A line?"

"Yes, a line," Karima hissed. "A wedding, human or elf…to turn that into a bloodbath…"

"How many have you killed already, Karima?" Riga asked. "I'd wager more than the amount of people who will die in the next few hours."

"That was different."

"Was it? Would you have spared the users of magic if they were pledging themselves to each other?"

"I-"

"Do answer, Karima," Riga said. "Please, tell me. Because if you're saying that we _shouldn't_ interrupt a wedding, even if it's our best chance to bring that boy king to heel and that bitch queen as well, do tell. I mean, I might need to write a new book on warfare to cover such stunning insights, but I'm sure it'll be well worth the time. It might even stop the next Dagda Mor or Warlock Lord – lo and behold, the key to defending the Four Lands is to have a wedding!"

Karima didn't answer. Which, as far as Riga was concerned, was good. He wasn't stupid, he knew when he had to listen to his men. But this wasn't such a time. Ander, Tamlin, Lyria, and multiple noblemen of Leah and Arborlon, all in the one place. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Hopefully, Karima understood that. Given that he didn't say anything as his general began walking up the tunnel again, it appeared that he did. Which-

"What of the Red Wedding?"

…apparently he hadn't got it. Riga found his hand reaching for his sword – it was thirsty. Human, elf, it was all good blood.

"What of the Red Wedding?" Riga asked.

"The Red Wedding," Karima said. "When the House of Frey betrayed the House of Stark in the name of House Lannister. You-"

"Yes yes, I know history," Riga snapped. "Well enough to know that in the end House Stark won, and they're living in a nice little castle in the deep south of the Federation. That was hundreds of years ago, before you were suckling at your mother's teat. What of it?"

"It is just that one might say it's taboo to strike at a wedding. To betray-"

"We're not betraying anyone." Riga walked over to Karima – he was feeling hot, and his sword was getting thirsty. "King Eventine betrayed us when he let the druid into our home after what his kind did in the War of the Races. Ander is no better. Queen Tamlin decided to betray trust with the elves, and now that she's betrayed us, she'll get to either see me on the throne, or the depths of the Silver River."

"But-"

"And we didn't invite anyone into our home," Riga continued. "We're invading theirs. Tamlin may have extended guest rights to Ander and his entourage, but they don't apply to us. We can act as soldiers may."

"Is this how soldiers act?" Karima asked. "Is this how _we_ act?"

Riga drew closer. "Ask me that again," he said. "Ask it, so I might hear it a year ago. Ask me it before the demons came to Arborlon. When I saw that all those fancy rules about war meant nothing."

"General-"

"Or even further back to the War of the Races. How did the Warlock Lord's forces act when they advanced from the north?"

"I didn't mean-"

"Or even further back," he hissed, "when mankind destroyed the world with fire, leaving the relics we see all around us thousands of years later. When humanity launched their flying spears, did they act as a soldier should? Did they think about the world and people they were destroying with their fire?"

Karima didn't say anything. Lucky for him. Riga was done talking. And he'd lived long enough to know that if talk failed, action would succeed. Even violent action. If anything, he'd done more through action in a year than he had with words in a lifetime.

"Don't talk to me about morality Karima," Riga said. "Let the people call us monsters. Let them call this a second Red Wedding, or any other colour. When magic's cleansed from the Four Lands, and when they're reaping the benefits of the world the Crimson created for them, they won't get squeamish about how they created it." He nodded his head to the side. "Now move out."

Karima didn't say anything. It looked like he wanted to, but in silence, he headed down the tunnel. Towards Leah's palace. Towards the wedding, and the people that would die there.

In a moment, Riga followed him.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _Was I the only one who watched Ander's death and get Robb Stark/Red Wedding flashbacks? Based on the Internet, apparently not._

 _Anyway, drabbled this up._


End file.
